Dr. Travis has made a homerun with this diet. It's very easy to follow, the 1st phase is a little tough to get through, but if you can make it through the first 4 days, then your body gets into a good rhythm of knowing when it will get food and not start yelling at you to "feed me". There are great recipes to follow, good charts of what to eat when, and lots of good information as to how all this works to help you have a new and healthy lifestyle. I've been on more diets than I can count, but this one seems to really fit me better than any others because there's a lot of food you can eat, and the more you eat of the right foods, the faster you loose the weight. Thank you Dr. Travis Stork for providing me with the information that this great guide has to offer, to help me to make much better and healthier food choices for my lifestyle.Read full review

Crunches work the upper abdomen, leg raises work the lower abdomen, and side bends work the obliques (also known as love handles). About 15-25 reps each day should be enough. If you can do more than that, try adding weights to your routine. Note that doing crunches will only build muscle underneath your existing belly fat, but will not burn that fat directly.

Even if dieters have cut out the cheese pizza and ice cream, losing that extra fat around the middle can prove frustrating, especially for those over 30. Author and doctor Randolph (From Hormone Hell to Hormone Well), along with women's health expert James, asserts that much of the blame can be placed on estrogen. A three-pronged approach to reverse the trend, resulting in additional weight loss, involves eating foods to balance one's hormone levels (primarily cruciferous vegetables, citrus and fiber); using a natural, topical progesterone treatment (naturally, he suggests Dr. Randolph's Natural Balance Cream); and taking seven key dietary supplements, including a range of vitamins, a "calcium-magnesium combo" and DHEA. The importance of exercise and physician visits are acknowledged but not discussed ("When You Will Need a Doctor" is essentially two paragraphs about getting one's hormone levels checked). The month's worth of meal plans provided are generally tasty, healthy dishes such as Cauliflower Crab Cakes, Pickled Beets and Grilled Salmon with Dill and Lemon; that said, Randolph's bold assertions and self-promotion give the book an infomercial feel that compromises an otherwise medically sound diet.

The two figures standing in front of me one recent winter morning could not look more different. On the right is Carrie McCulloch, MD, a musculoskeletal anatomy expert and the medical director for Kinected Pilates studio in New York City, who is sizing up the shape of my waistline. Dr. McCulloch's own midsection happens to be perfectly rounded because she is only weeks away from giving birth to her first child. On the left is her assistant, Mr. Bones, one of those hanging skeletons that teach medical students how the thigh bone's connected to the hip bone. Mr. Bones doesn't actually have a waist, just a hollow space between his ribs and pelvis.

Try using an exercise ball to work your tummy muscles. One great exercise is called the ball exchange. Lie flat on your back, with your arms extended over your head, holding the exercise ball. Lift the ball above your chest, simultaneously raising your legs (keeping them completely straight) off the ground. Place the ball between your ankles, then lower your arms and legs to the floor. Repeat the exchange, this time passing the ball from your ankles to your hands. Do 10-12 repetitions.[9]
Out of sight, out of mouth? Simply reorganizing your pantry’s “top hits” could translate into serious sugar savings, according to researchers at Google. The study, dubbed “Project M&M,” found that storing chocolate candies in opaque containers as opposed to glass ones help curb M&M consumption by 3.1 million calories in just seven weeks. In the study, they also gave healthier snacks more prominent shelf space. A similar study published in the Journal of Marketing found that people are more likely to overeat small treats from transparent packages than from opaque ones. For more sugar-curbing tips, grab a copy of The 14-Day No-Sugar Diet.

IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is the most common gastrointestinal disorder. IBS symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, and bloating—So. Much. Bloating. While the causes aren't all known, it's thought to be linked to lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, hormones, and stress. These natural remedies for IBS can help. Sufferers often find that making changes in these areas eliminates or reduces their IBS (and their stomach circumference!).

The good news, according to Weltman, is that high intensity — the level at which you feel the effort and can no longer hold a conversation — is different for each person. "You may have to run to get to that level, while someone else may just have to jog or walk," he explains. "It all depends on your level of fitness, but the great thing is, you can do it whether you're a competitive athlete or just starting out."
Drink water. Stay hydrated to stay energized and active. You’ll also reduce belly bloat from water retention if you maintain a well-hydrated body. Skip the high-calorie sports drinks and sweetened drinks. Stick to homemade flavored water to keep your hydration habit cheap and healthy. If you feel like your belly weight is due to water retention, there are safe ways to lose water weight quickly so that your tummy gets flatter in a few days (or even a few hours).

The biggest problem area for dieters is their waist. Even though they are able to shed off kilos from other areas on their body, reaching a slimmer waist is a daunting task. And once they finally achieve a a slimmer waist, the next uphill task is to flatten a bulging tummy. The main issue behind our inability to lose fat from the tummy area lies in the wrong meal times we have been following for as long as we can remember. Unlike the west, where dinner is set before 8 pm, in a typical Indian home, dinner is no time before 8 pm, if not 9. This is where Indians lose as there is nothing wrong in our diet.

Dinner: Turkey Burgers. Looking to mix it up from traditional burgers? Try these tasty and healthy turkey burgers. Use thick slices of tomato or large leaves of lettuce in lieu of bun. Top with leftover avocado from breakfast and serve with a side of oven baked sweet potato fries. Sweet Potato Fries Recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/healthy_turkey_burger_recipes

I’m doing the ab challenge this month and am loving it. I was wondering if we couldn’t do a challenge next month as well, but maybe one for the back… I’m just worried that all this crunching will make me look like a banana :P Though actually, a lot of guys in my class look like bananas because of working only abs, really… Or maybe you could just suggest some good back moves, and I’ll do that for myself.
IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is the most common gastrointestinal disorder. IBS symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, and bloating—So. Much. Bloating. While the causes aren't all known, it's thought to be linked to lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, hormones, and stress. These natural remedies for IBS can help. Sufferers often find that making changes in these areas eliminates or reduces their IBS (and their stomach circumference!).

As for celebrity fad diets, Stork says he's suspicious. “I'm wary of all celebrity fad diets. I think when we started hosting 'The Doctors' is when the maple syrup diet came out, and it was all about, 'Oh pour a little maple syrup with lemon,' and I was like, 'No, no, that's not going to cure you of all that ails you. I think people need to be careful with celebrities because we always forget … celebrities have a lot of money and access to a lot of things that most normal people don't."

Fennel, peppermint, and ginger have all been shown in research studies to have calming effects on the belly. They work by enhancing digestive enzymes so your food gets moved through your system faster. And faster-moving food means a flatter tummy. In addition, peppermint reduces cramping and gas, ginger helps with nausea and inflammation, and fennel is a diuretic to help you stop retaining water. Here are other home remedies to help an upset stomach.
Lie on your right side with your knees straight. Place your right hand under your right shoulder. Lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Flex your feet and extend your left arm up to the ceiling. Breath deeply for the duration of the exercise. Hold this position for up to 60 seconds. Lower and repeat on the other side.

Wondering what C.R.A.P. is? Well, it is a group of food that does no good to your body. C for caffeine, R for refined sugar, A for alcohol and P for processed food. If you remove these four food groups from your life, you can live your dream of a flat belly. One of the biggest enemies of a flat stomach, these groups cling to your bodies and make it difficult for you to lose fat.

• Too much estrogen circulating in the body increases body fat, and fatty tissue within the body produces and stores more estrogen. Body fat contains an enzyme that converts adrenal steroids to estrogen. At a cellular level, body fat continues to produce more estrogen, and a high estrogen level, in turn, causes the body to increase its store of fatty tissue. In other words, your belly becomes a 'fat magnet.'
“The plank is a favorite, but we take it to another level opening and closing the legs like scissors while at the same time raising and dropping the hips! So not only are you strengthening the core but also timing the hips, thighs and waist. [We also do] the trunk twist along with a back row using the bands. The benefit of this exercise will give you flat abs and coke bottle obliques while removing those fat handles from the back and arms.”

Great book that really got me focused on how hormones can affect your weight. After 30 it really is all down hill (j/k) It taught me what foods to help balance hormones and I thought it was insightful and the author wrote it in a way I could understand all the medical terms! Quite a random find at the library but I really enjoyed it. One I'll read again if I have stubborn belly fat - I really feel like this program it outlines works!

With the weather getting warmer it’s the perfect time to go for a walk or run, but remember to vary your speeds. Why, you ask? Research has shown it will help you shrink your belly. In a Danish study reported by the American Diabetes Association, two groups of people with type 2 diabetes were put on a walking program. One group walked at a steady speed, while the other group varied their walking speed. After four months, the interval-training group lost eight more pounds than the steady walkers. Even better, the walkers who changed up their speeds lost visceral belly fat and improved their blood sugar control.

UPDATE (1/16/17)...I initially gave this a 4/5 thinking it was sound, smart advice, but 13 months later, after reading a number of nutrition books, I've come to understand a lot of the bad advice given in this book. While there are some good points on antibiotics, the advice and justification of Whole Grains are terrible (frankly, I dismiss anyone's nutritional advice when they say you need to eat whole grains; whole grains suck; see Wheat Belly or Undoctored by William Davis and/or Eat the Yolk ...more